Bakk handed Senate bonding committee reins

The rumors were true: DFL émigré Sen. Tom Bakk, of Cook, is the new head of the powerful Senate committee—Capital Investment—that helps sort out which projects get bonding funds.

Sen. David Tomassoni, of Chisholm, who with fellow Iron Ranger Bakk bolted from the DFL to form their own two-member independent caucus, gets the Higher Ed committee gavel.

“Their experience in the areas of bonding and higher education will serve the entire state as we recover from COVID and develop a workforce that can succeed in a recovering economy,” said Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka, R-East Gull Lake, in the Tuesday press release that unveiled Session 2021 Senate committee assignments.

Besides shuffling chairs to accommodate the independent senators, the upper chamber on Tuesday expanded by nine the number of committees and subcommittees it will assemble once the regular legislative session starts in January.

Sen. Andrew Mathews, R-Princeton, was appointed to chair a new Senate Civil Law and Data Practices committee.

Until now, the Senate Judiciary and Public Safety committee chaired by Sen. Warren Limmer, R-Maple Grove, dealt with civil law and data practice issues. The Senate, unlike the House, previously had no dedicated Civil Law committee.

Mathews, a federal veterans caseworker and pastor by occupation, holds a juris doctorate from the Oak Brook College of Law and Government Policy, a correspondence law school based in Fresno, Calif. However, he is not registered to practice law in Minnesota.

Limmer retains his chairmanship at Judiciary and Public Safety, which will retain domain over criminal law.

Sen. Dave Senjem, R-Rochester, who has served as Capital Investment chair, slides over to head up Energy Finance and Policy. There he replaces Sen. Dave Osmek, R-Mound. Osmek, in turn, moves over to lead the newly minted Subcommittee on Metropolitan Governance Policy.

The new committee structure reflects both the realities of the pandemic and a need to accommodate the new Senate Independent Caucus, the GOP Senate caucus said in a Tuesday press release.

Committees next year will be kept on a tight leash, the release indicates.

“Chairs and committees will have to focus on a limited agenda to make sure we can adequately involve the public, thoroughly assess priority issues and do so while meeting in a safe manner,” said Sen. Michelle Benson, R-Ham Lake, who led the committee reorganization process.

The GOP Senate’s Session 2021 main priority will be to balance the budget in the face of a COVID-19 economy. The Senate Finance Committee alone will have hearing times available three days a week. All other committees will be limited to one or two hearings a week, the caucus said.

One standing committee chair who won reelection in 2020 has lost his committee gavel. That’s Sen. Bruce Anderson, R-Buffalo Township. “We have new leaders that our senior members wanted to get more experience,” said Rachel Aplikowski, Gazelka’s press secretary, in an email Tuesday.

The 2021 legislative session starts on Jan. 5.

New roster

The Senate’s full committee chair list. New assignments or committees are noted.

Rules: Gazelka

Finance: Julie Rosen, R-Vernon Center

State Government Finance and Policy and Elections: Mary Kiffmeyer, R-Big Lake

Health and Human Services Finance and Policy: Benson

Human Services Reform Finance and Policy: Jim Abeler, R-Anoka

Jobs Finance and Policy: Eric Pratt, R-Prior Lake

Commerce Finance and Policy: Gary Dahms, R-Redwood Falls

Judiciary and Public Safety Finance and Policy, Criminal Law: Limmer

Environment and Natural Resources Finance: Bill Ingebrigtsen, R-Alexandria

Environment and Natural Resources Policy and Legacy Finance: Carrie Ruud, R-Breezy Point

Transportation Finance and Policy: Scott Newman, R-Hutchinson

Agriculture Finance and Policy: Torrey Westrom, R-Elbow Lake

Aging and Long-Term Care Policy: Karin Housley, R-St. Marys Point

Energy Finance and Policy: Senjem (new assignment)

E-12 Finance and Policy: Roger Chamberlain, R-Lino Lakes (new assignment; he had been Taxes chair)

Taxes: Carla Nelson, R-Rochester (new assignment; she had been E-12 Finance and Policy chair)

Subcommittee on Property Taxes (new committee): Bill Weber, R-Luverne

Local Government Policy: John Jasinski, R-Faribault (new assignment; he had been Transportation vice-chair; the committee’s 2020 chair, Sen. Dan Hall, R-Burnsville, lost his re-election bid.)

Subcommittee on Metropolitan Governance Policy (new committee): Osmek

Veterans and Military Affairs: Andrew Lang, R-Olivia (new assignment—he had been the committee’s vice-chair; that committee’s 2020 chair, Sen. Bruce Anderson, is no longer listed as a committee chair.)

Capital Investment: Bakk (new assignment)

Higher Education Finance and Policy: Tomassoni (new assignment; the committee’s 2020 chair, Sen. Paul Anderson, R-Plymouth, did not seek re-election)

Housing Finance and Policy (new committee): Rich Draheim, R-Madison Lake

Technology and Reform Policy (new committee): Mark Koran, R- North Branch

Civil Law and Data Practices Policy (new committee): Mathews

Labor and Industry Policy (new committee): Jason Rarick, R-Brook Park

Mining and Forestry Policy (new committee): Justin Eichorn, R-Grand Rapids

Human Services Licensing Policy (new committee): Paul Utke, R-Park Rapids

Redistricting (new committee): Mark Johnson, R-East Grand Forks